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Youth Activities Around the World

It is inspiring when young people from around the world use their knowledge, sense of motivation and energy to bring about action for the environment. Young people bring a fresh outlook to environmental activism. Tunza is about empowering you to act. To get involved in the Tunza Actions Around the World, contact children.youth@unep.org

Youth actions also include answering questions from the public on UNEP's online interactive feature Expert of the Day - another great way to learn about youth environmental activities.

Algerian Muslim Scouts * Elmanar *, Algeria

Project works to strengthen the spirit of environmental citizenship among students while working to give the successful models in environmental clubs in schools in order to disseminate in all schools of Algeria.

Plastics for pillows and teaching tools, Cameroon

Plastics littering has been reduced in or nearby our campus through the action of ozone club members and non students. They sensitised the school to make plastics collection drums. These plastics are collected, cut into pieces as fillers for pillows, mattresses and cushions. The harder plastics are cut into 3cm x 3cm squares and used to make educative games for teachers and students, such as the PERIODIC TABLE GAME. The reduction of plastics littering has gone a long way to reduce breeding grounds for mosquitoes parasites. Presently both urban and village settlers have endorsed our actions.

Direct Drive, Evironment Friendly Vehicle, Tanzania

Recently human beings use the vehicle which requires petrol products to be operated for transport and this definitely pollutes our environment by emitting poisonous gasses such as Carbon Monoxide, Sulphur Dioxide, Nitrogen Oxide, etc….. In this research we designed a vehicle which has clean technology that gives minimum harm to environment, uses energy efficiently and also conserves energy.We work 1 year on this project.We have been working on this project almost 1 year

Cakau Bula - Our Living Reef - Our heritage, Fiji

Kia Island is situated on the Great Sea Reef in Fiji; the third largest barrier reef system in the world. Increasing fishing pressure is damaging the marine ecosystem and resulting in lower catch, which has serious implications for the community’s livelihoods. The Reef Ranger's programme, which began in 2011, was developed to empower and educate the community, in particular the youth, about marine ecology and threats facing the natural resources they rely upon. Following lessons run by Community Centred Conservation (C3) in the island's school, the Reef Rangers are implementing conservation and awareness-raising activities across Kia.

Biogas Energy and proper use of Food waste, India

This project is about environment friendly utilisation of food waste for energy ( Biogas) and fertilizer in urban areas in decentralised way. At the same time it helps in environfriendly disposal of biodegradable components of Municipal Solid Waste.We have chosen this problem because of improper disposal, handling, transportation of it for long distances and large scale dumping in most of the urban areas in developing countries. We have been working on this project for more than a year.

SHINE-Forests, Indonesia

SHINE-Forests is making prolonged conservation management to avoid scarcity of biodiversity. We have worked for 2 years because population especially in Indonesia increases rapidly, until become the world forth largest country of population. People need more resources to fulfill their lives. On other hands, Indonesia was stated as the second country with high deforestation after Brazil.
Therefore, we made several contacts with government to share ideas and got their support for campaigning Trees for Life from schools in certain radius area to develop them becoming city forests. We believe this conservation gives positive impacts for environment and social life.

Californian worms, Macedonia

The production of healthy food requires great amount of organic fertilizer,which with the current development of the stock-breeding and the needs for vegetal production’s impossible to supply. On the other hand,faced with the enormous amount of organic waste(for example the tree leaves,which desolve in the parks)we asked ourselves ”can these potencial polluters of the environment be used for the benefit of the people”? Our research has led us to the Californian worms,whose breeding isn’t only a step forward in the production of healthy food but at the same time is an impact on the protection of the environment.

Don’t spill, don’t make dirty the future, Turkey

Our goal in this project to prevent possible harm to the environment of waste oils. We organized great seminars around the city by supports of the department of Education in the district the district authority of the Government and Provincial Directorate of Environment. We organized a theatrical show.In addition local newspapers news about our projects seminars published and all the people of the region were informed that we have done.Currently 1% of the waste oil is collected in our country. After 10 years from now we have initiated a project to contribute to the goal to see the waste oil is collected in 90% by our project to prevent an environmental disaster.

Endangered animals saved by healthy/ethical eating, United Kingdom

Corgreen is a group of three teenage girls who are passionate about developing a new social enterprise model. They have already raised £320 and their vision is to bring about change for good. To do this they have allied themselves with the Fair Trade organisation. They use a recycled brown paper bag which they fill with Fair Trade, nutritious snacks and information on the products. They want to tackle the unhealthy eating habits of their peers, encourage ethical purchasing but most importantly their profits will be used to adopt endangered animals. They aim to adopt fifteen in their first year.

Wash and return of pesticide packaging, Brazil

The project aims to advise small farmers on the procedures for washing and returning pesticide packaging. Within two years we could observe a big amount of packaging thrown on the ground and mainly in the river Suzana, near the place where we develop the scouting activities. We have also observed the death of fish in this area. Besides, the contamination can be harmful to people because this river supplies two small cities with water. During the last months we have organized specific courses to teach the correct wash of packaging and the suitable use of the PPE (Personal Protective Equipment).

Haiti Ocean Project, Haiti

The Haiti Ocean Project was initiated five years ago for the purpose of protecting the vulnerable marine mammals and marine life that are valuable to Haiti's marine environment and sustainable tourism development. Many organizations and the Haitian government are trying to solve Haiti's environmental problems on land: deforestation, almost non-existence of land mammals and contamination of freshwater lakes. For Haiti to sustain long-term environmental success, the only hope is protecting marine waters and its marine inhabitants. Marine mammals and other valuable marine life are abundant in Haitian waters, yet the country never put a priority on these species.

Resiclando en el Taller de Santa Scout, Guatemala

The project is based on the development of toys in 1000 and used, such as cans, bottles of soft drink, toilet facilities, newspaper, bottle caps, white glue and crayons, with these elements will shape variety of toys like, Cars, Spacecraft, Aircraft, dolls, pencil holder, alcasillas, flowers, among others. Using wit and fine motor skills to create attractive toys, durable and deliver the end of the year in rural areas where if they can appreciate because they need to distract yourself while you are away and largely forgotten by the people.

Application-Historical GIS Data to Reduce Erosion, United States of America

The purpose of our project was to design an assessment plan to identify stream way erosion using historical GIS-based (Geographic Information System) geophysical data. Storm water runoff from urban areas affects stream quality; as the population increases, so does the amount of impervious surface area and non-point source pollutants. Implementing best management practices for erosion control helps the environment by preventing: sediment pollution, the release of pollutants trapped in the soil, and prioritizes capital expenditures. We have worked on this project for a little over two years.

Falcon Autistic Solar Team (FAST), USA

Our special-needs students with Autism have formed a science club called the Falcon Autistic Solar Team (FAST) at Independence High School. The focus of our solar club is to travel to other schools and teach other students about how solar energy works. FAST club members use these solar energy demonstrations to peer-tutor other classes on how a solar panel takes radiant energy from the sun and converts it into electricity. During our FAST presentations, each student talks about a solar project they have built. Our projects use photovoltaic cells to power each model by converting direct sunlight into electricity.

S.O.S ! (Saving Our Species) - The American Eel, USA

The American Eel population has been declining for over a decade in our local Hudson River estuary. For this reason, we began increasing eel awareness through hands-on education and research activities in July-2011. The eel is vital to sustaining the foodweb and biodiversity of our river. We have partnered with the New York State’s Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) and have taken their research in new directions by studying eel populations in the fall. We are active participants in NYSDEC’s Citizen Science project and have worked to bring this issue to a larger audience through media and educational assemblies.

Bring the rubbish get the gift, Iraq

Students were not aware of throwing rubbish into the bins. Unfortunatelly they had the behaviour of dumping the waste out of, especially around, the rubbish bins.
We think that being gained a good habit to our children is not easy because of that, in this project one of our aims to present how to keep clean our environment and how to change it into an amusing thing.
Students had started to use the project, they started getting the habbit of throwing the rubbish into the bin. According to school staff observation, the students started to use the rubbishbin correctly.

Energy efficient light bulb with normal appearance, Iran

In our country, people don't like to use Energy efficient light bulb because of this shape. We tried to change the appearance of them and design them look like normal bulb to attract people and make them satisfied. We made the Energy efficient light bulb with normal appearance. It is Popular and people like to use it. At the end people can use Energy efficient one instead of high consumption.

United Photocatalysts, Iran

Many countries are facing the problem of drinking water shortage. In this project, we are about to degredate Congo red which is a type of toxic dye found in underground water near many industrial lands. . Congo red is Carcinogenic , irritant and causes fetal abnormalities which are all its adverse effects. Due to this toxic pollutant's problems, we are using a mixture of two heterogeneous photocatalysts named Polyoxometalate and Titanium dioxide to purify the water which is polluted by congored to make more drinking water.

Atmosphere: Project Jatropha - India

Adarsha Shivakumar and Apoorva Rangan are two young siblings from USA who visit their grandparents in India very often. When they visited villages in the Hunsur Taluk area in South India, they realized that many farmers grow tobacco for a living as it one of the few crops that generates income there. However the processing of raw tobacco leaves in the kilns (barns) requires firewood. This has forced farmers to cut down the tree cover and forests. The burning of the tobacco leaves therefore produces a large amount of carbon dioxide and other pollutants.

Atmosphere: Investigative Journalists - Isle of Man / Gambia

In 2011, six high school students were awarded a trip to Gambia to see the work that Concern Universal, a development charity organisation was doing there. When the students saw first-hand the impacts of climate change in Gambia, they realized that climate change is not a mere chapter in their science textbooks. Carbon dioxide emissions produced on one side of the world are causing negative consequences on the other, often on some of the world’s most vulnerable people. Climate change is a real global issue.

Sweden is covered by a lot of forests, but most of this forestry is used for industrial purposes. Forests are cut down for timber and paper production amongst others. They are replanted, but cut down again after some 60 years. Biodiversity is very low in these forests since almost all the trees are of the same age and stand in straight lines. Nordic forests are unique; they have many species that don't exist anywhere else in the world. The ancient taiga forest, being a hotspot for biodiversity and endangered species, is of particular concern as it covers less than 1% of Sweden. Yet, these are cut down since the industries see only a shorter economical gain.

Comoros faces serious challenges in effective management of marine resources, particularly in the face of climate change and burgeoning population growth. In contrast to their poverty, the islands host a number of ecologically important and vulnerable coastal habitats, including coral reefs, mangroves and seagrass beds, which support high marine biodiversity. The Green Turtle is endangered and the Hawksbill Turtle is critically endangered. The island of Mohéli in Comoros is one of the world's most important nesting sites for these species; however, poaching of these endangered sea turtles is a serious threat.

Drivers: – Chirag: Solar Energy initiative - India

In India, students at the Free Enterprise H.R. College have launched a lighting campaign called Project Chirag. Their 5-point Rural Transformation Model aimed to tackle:

Environment

Healthcare & Sanitation

Education

Economic Empowerment,

Social development

They agreed that for lasting change…energy or power was vital. The problem they decided to tackle was electricity in rural households and the unsustainable fuel that is used at night in these communities. They wanted a long term sustainable solution using a free plentiful resource in their community. This project is targeted towards villages which have no access to electricity and more than 75% of the population is under the poverty line.

Divers: ConstruCycle: A Social Entrepreneurship - Nicaragua/ Brazil

As society becomes more urbanised, it is important to adapt to the changing needs. At the moment, one out of every three city dwellers lives in a slum. It is estimated that one billion people are living in housing that is not adequate (UN Habitat) and over 100 million people homeless. As our population increases this problem is likely to grow. At the same time, we are producing a lot of waste which we do not adequately recycle or reuse. Most waste is put into landfills, burnt or buried. We are not dealing with our problems together and trying to solve each one in isolation isn’t working.

Biodiversity: Green Teach Green Live Green - Cameroon

In Cameroon, a group of youth realized that there were very few initiatives in their community to raise awareness of environmental issues that were impacting their lives. They felt that they needed to reach a large audience. They thought about how media could be utilized as a major platform for communication in efforts towards sustainability. They also discussed how reward schemes could be an incentive for environmental activities within the community. Their goal was to“paint the world green via talking, teaching, and living” and decided to use communication as a tool for conservation.

Land: Let's save our forest - Russia

The forest is vital to the Rustay population in Russia as people live in wooden houses, warm themselves by burning wood and wash in wooden bath houses. Most gather mushrooms and berries from the forest.
In 2010, 50% of the national reservoir forest (20000 hectares) burnt down and 5% of all regional woodland! That year in Russia approximately 10,7 million hectares of wood burnt down. But this wasn’t just a story on the news for the youth in this area. Their forest was burning, animals and people were dying and many were losing their homes. The youth who started this project were really lucky. The fire stopped just 7km from their homes. But this motivated them to take action.

Water: Cakau Bula – Our Living Reef , Our Heritage - Fiji

Kia Island is situated on the Great Sea Reef in Fiji. It is the third largest barrier reef system in the world. It has the highest diversity recorded in Fiji, including 55% of known coral reef fishes, 74% of known coral species, 40% of known marine flora and 44% of Fiji's endemic reef fish species. 12 species on the IUCN red list have also been documented there.

Water: Pet snail? - Mexico

Yucatan’s coasts are one of ten more important national wetlands but unfortunately they are polluted and their biodiversity endangered. Mayan apple snail (pomacea flagellata) used to live in the south east of Mexico, especially in Peninsula de Yucatán. When Mayas habited in Yucatan they used to eat this animal. Twenty nine friends (ranging from 3-17 years old) realized that their towns’ development depends of natural resources as water and biodiversity. They were impacted as fishing is become more difficult as the fish stocks are decreasing.

When we started our program, people were disposing of their medicines by pouring them down the drain, flushing them down the toilet or throwing them out in the trash because this is what they were told to do and they weren’t provided any alternatives.
All of these methods are seriously detrimental to our environment. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states that the sewage treatment systems are not specifically engineered to remove pharmaceuticals.

Water: Save water! - Macedonia

A school in Macedonia has entered the government supported OHO Saving water program. The objective of the project is to save water. The school’s principal was aware that the school was over using water because the accountant from the Prilep Local Municipality was concerned about their large water bills.
A model of the toilets made of ecology materials with small plastic pipes connecting the toilets to wells was created in collaboration between the Biology, Chemistry, Art and Craft teachers with the Eko club (which had been active for three years). This proto type was presented to the Municipality of Prilep Local Authorities who agreed to fund the concept.

Chemicals And Waste: Wash and return of pesticide packaging - Brazil

Scouts in Brazil noticed that there was a lot of litter from pesticide packaging on the ground and in the Suzana river where they have their activities. They noticed it was increasing over a two year period and that there were dead fish in the area. They were concerned because the contamination can be harmful to people because this river supplies two small cities with water. They decided to do something.
The scouts did research on the environmental legislation and other technical information to be presented to the farmers. In Brazil the federal law number 9.974 from June 6th, 2000 and the enactment number 3.550 from July 27th, 2000 establish the final destination of pesticide packaging. These rules and regulations are not followed correctly because of deficient guidance and lack of inspection.